Saving Face
by SClownzZzZz
Summary: Vidcund Curious is a dateless loser who is wasting his scientific potential…well, as far as Loki is concerned. But when Amber Pons casts a curse on Loki as payback, the two of them switch bodies, causing Loki to discover firsthand just how difficult Vidcund's life really is. R&R. Part 5 Up: The Perfect Curse. - Now Complete!
1. Strange Magic

Hey guys! _Welcome to Slavestown_ finished last week, so I am trying my hand at writing some shorter fics for the archive. This story has actually been sitting in my Doc Manager for a month now, but it features one of my favorite fanfiction tropes: the "Freaky Friday" Flip. I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to let me know what you think!

* * *

 **Saving Face** by SClownzZzZz

 _Part One – Strange Magic_

"I, Loki Beaker, have achieved success beyond my wildest dreams. Everybody wants to be me, and frankly, I don't blame them. After all, I'm fantastic. But for me to say that anyone could achieve my same level of success would be a lie," Loki completes, moving away from the reporter's microphone and looking up at the head reporter for Scientific Success Magazine. Loki smirks, "Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, thank you," the reporter nods, writing a few more lines down on his clipboard as he sits at one of the lab tables in Loki's workplace.

Across the room, Vidcund is sitting slumped at his lab table with his brothers, feeling rather sorry for himself as he watches the reporter stand up and shake Loki's hand. Vidcund leans forward slightly, catching the tail end of the pair's exchange.

"-The article will be out next month. It was an honor meeting you, Dr. Beaker," the reporter reassuringly states as he steps back from the table.

"Perfect," Loki replies. He turns slightly as the reporter exits the room, catching Vidcund's eyes in the process. Loki cocks his forehead and flashes his inferior a smug smile. Vidcund rolls his eyes.

"Loki!" Circe calls out. She throws her arms around her husband, causing Vidcund to cringe from the table. "I heard the interview went great. I'm so proud of you!"

"I know. I am too," Loki states, pulling Circe closer to him and lowering his voice to a not-so-subtle whisper. "Let's celebrate tonight by making the next scientific genius," he coos, embracing Circe and kissing her a few times to rub it in Vidcund's face.

"Sounds great. I'll make the dinner reservations at Londoste," Circe beams, pulling back and giving Loki a small wink before exiting the area.

Loki smiles as he watches her leave, his demeanor screaming success. "Isn't it great, Curious? First, I receive the highest scientific honor anyone in Strangetown has ever seen, and now I get to go home and make a baby with the love of _your_ life," he states, staring down at Vidcund pitifully, "It sure is great to be me."

Vidcund clenches his fists slightly as he stands up from the lab table, clearly having enough, "You know Loki, you sure are full of yourself," he begins as he follows Loki into hallway.

"It's easy to get obsessed with greatness," Loki quips.

"I wish we could all achieve success as easily as you," Vidcund adds.

"Yeah, well, you can't," Loki says, stopping in the corner of the hallway to look at him, "At least, _you_ can't." Loki smirks, throwing his head back and laughing evilly towards the ceiling. Vidcund sighs, shakes his head, and walks away.

A few moments later, Loki moves his head down, now noticing Vidcund's departure. "Psh, what a baby," Loki comments before heading further down the hallway. Loki treks forward, finding the hallway growing darker by the minute. He stops in the center of the floor and glances around, seeing nothing but empty walls on either side of him. All of a sudden, a cloud of red smoke flashes in front of him, causing the scientist to back up and cough a few times. "What the hell…?"

The smoke cloud diminishes, revealing a young, blonde, green-skinned witch leaning up against the wall next to him, her elegant black dress flowing to her knees. "My, my," the woman tisks, crossing her arms as she stares intensely at the scientist, "you are a big bully."

"Oh yeah, and what's it to you?" Loki questions, glaring at the supernatural creature.

"The name's Amber Pons," the woman continues, her greeting sounding more like a warning, "And if you don't change your ways, Mr. Beaker, one day you may find yourself alone."

"Really?" Loki huffs, rolling his eyes up at the ceiling, "I'm going to find myself alone because I bully Vidcund Curious?" he asks, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do-" Loki cries, storming past the witch and down the hallway.

The red smoke cloud appears in front of him as Amber steps out, blocking his path. "I'm warning you, Loki, you shouldn't be cruel to others. You never know how tough they have it-"

"-Nor do I care," Loki fires back, "Now leave me alone Cruella de Witch," he snaps, trekking forward and pushing right past her. Amber turns towards him, watching the young scientist storm off, a vengeful gaze forming on her face.

"Oh, you are going to regret doing that, Mr. Beaker," she snarls.

 _The Atrociously Evil Witch's Lair – 11:45 p.m._

Later that night, Amber is standing in front of her spell book, leafing through the pages. She stops when she comes across the ancient spell that she is looking for and bookmarks the page. Amber closes the spell book and grabs her broom, staring up at the Beaker residence. "It's a shame you didn't change your ways, Loki, because now you'll have to experience things firsthand."

 _The Curious Residence – 12:00 a.m._

Amber Pons lands a few feet away from the back entrance of the Curious residence and sets her broom against the side of the house. She sighs as she peers through the kitchen window, finding Pascal and Vidcund sitting at the kitchen counter eating pizza. Amber crouches a tad, attempting to stay out of sight as she takes out her spell book and aims her wand towards the middle Curious brother. She quietly mutters the spell to herself and strikes him, causing Vidcund to fall back in his seat towards the floor.

"Vid!" Pascal cries, jumping up from his seat and attempting to catch him.

Amber nods in satisfaction and hops back onto her broom, her taste for chaos growing with each passing second.

 _The Beaker Residence – 12:03 a.m._

Amber arrives at her second destination, on the roof of the residence of Strangetown's most despised villain. She smiles as she sets down her broom and climbs down the stairs to the second-story balcony. Amber stops in place and stares slightly into the window of the master bedroom, where sure enough, Circe and Loki are situated.

"Are you ready?" Circe coos, motioning her husband over to the bed.

Loki growls and lunges forward, stopping in place when Amber strikes him with the curse. Loki moans and collapses onto the bed into a deep slumber, causing Circe to shake her head in a snit. "You know, you could've just said 'no'!" she snaps, leaning forward slightly as Loki remains unresponsive. "Loki?" Circe chimes, giving him a shake. After a moment of silence, Circe shrugs, turns off the light, and goes to sleep as Amber cackles evilly from the window.

 _The Curious Residence – 5:07 a.m._

Loki groans as the sun seeps delicately through the window, causing him to scrunch his eyes in discomfort. He yawns and sits up slightly as he throws the covers off his body. "Morning already?" Loki speaks quietly, his voice sounding more horse than usual, "Come on, Circe," he states, reaching his arm out to the left, expecting to feel the right side of his bed, but hitting the wall instead. "What the-?" Loki turns to the side, now noticing the room that he is situated in, which is a small, drab, and classless bedroom. Loki eyes widen as he finds himself in none other than Vidcund Curious's bedroom. Loki shrieks as he looks down, wearing nothing but melon boxers. He holds his hands out in shock, which are now a bit shorter and fuller. " _No, no, no!"_ Loki cries under his breath as he scans them over, _"Tell me it's not true!"_

Panicked, Loki races out of Vidcund's bedroom and races into the Curious brother's bathroom. He stops in front of the bathroom mirror and looks into it, finding Vidcund's face staring back at him. "AHH!" Loki screams, the sound of Vidcund's voice coming out of his mouth causing Loki to freak out even more. Hearing this, Pascal bursts into the bathroom clutching a baseball bat.

"Alright, where is he? Where's the burglar, Vid?" Pascal cries, fiercely scanning the area as if their lives depended on it.

"Vid? Eek!" Loki squeaks, ducking as Pascal swings the baseball bat around, barely missing him. Loki stands up, his blood boiling, and grabs the bat. Loki is hoping to take it away from Pascal, but has to settle for merely holding it in place. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" he rages as Lazlo walks into the room, tiredly scratching his armpit.

Lazlo narrows his eyes wondrously at the pair of feuding scientists. "Uh…why are you guys up at five in the morning?" he questions, "I mean, for Pascal it makes sense, but not for you, Vid."

"What?" Loki responds, quickly letting go of the bat at the sound of Lazlo's words, "No, no, no! Do _not_ call me that! That is not my name, and this is not happening. This must be some kind of messed-up hallucination!"

Pascal and Lazlo turn to each other and exchange confused glances before Lazlo turns back to Loki.

"Uh…yeah," Lazlo slowly states, clearly puzzled, "Are you sure you're feeling okay, Vid?"

"I'm fine, and I'm not Vidcund," Loki corrects him once more, throwing his arms down at his sides, "Obviously, I'm Loki!"

"Ooh! Is this a new game?" Pascal exclaims, bouncing excitedly in place, "Can I be Buzz? I can do a great Buzz impression!" Pascal announces before immediately shifting into a serious expression, "Grr…I hate aliens!"

Loki crosses his arms and glares at Pascal. "You know, it's amazing you're still alive," he comments, "But as I was saying earlier, I'm not your brother, I'm Loki. I went to sleep last night as myself, then I woke up this morning and somehow, I'm in Vidcund's body!" he shouts, noticing Pascal and Lazlo turn to each other for a second time, concerned gazes on their faces.

"Look Vid," Pascal begins, Loki cringing a bit as Pascal places a hand on his shoulder, "I know you're jealous of Loki because you still have a thing for Circe, but this is getting creepy – you're not him."

"Yes, I am!" Loki cries, frustration building up inside of him as both Pascal and Lazlo shake their heads in pity. "Really," Loki adds, sounding more like a plea than a convincing argument. Loki turns towards the bathroom doorway, locking eyes with Amber, who is smirking at him from the outside window.

"You!" he growls, racing out of the room and storming over to her. "You did this to me!" Loki yells, gesturing down at Vidcund's barely-dressed body, "Once I get my body back, I'm heading straight to the Strangetown Magical Regulatory Commission and-"

"-And do what?" Amber pompously states, "Nobody believes you, not even with a sincere exterior," she reminds him, "You crossed me, Loki Beaker, and now you're paying the price. It's a shame, really. You had such a great life, but you didn't deserve it. Now it belongs to someone else, and you're forced to watch it from the sidelines. Funny, isn't it?"

"Hardly," Loki growls, staring into Amber's crass, brown eyes, "And I hope you know that my wife won't stand for this, she'll have your head if she finds out what you did to me!"

Amber leans back and gives a small chuckle. "I find that hard to believe when Circe can barely stand you."

"What are you talking about? My wife adores me!"

Amber cocks her forehead. "Does she?"

"Yes," Loki firmly nods.

Amber sighs as she scans the young man over. "If you say so," she states, "But if you ask me, you are clearly lacking in acuity, for I see nothing but an unlovable man," Amber remarks, taking a few steps back and summoning her broom with a wave of her hand. "Ta-ta, Loki!" she waves, getting on her broomstick and preparing to launch off.

"What? No!" Loki cries, racing desperately towards her, "Don't leave me like this!" he shouts, sighing defeatedly as he watches her disappear into the clouds. "This is the worst day of my life."

 _The Beaker Residence – 7:01 a.m._

An alarm goes off on the nightstand in Loki and Circe's master bedroom. Vidcund groggily lifts his head up and flimsily throws his arm out to silence the alarm, unaware of the fact that he did not fall asleep on his stomach last night.

"Ow! Loki!" Circe voice calls out next to him, "What is wrong with you?!"

"Loki?" Vidcund springs awake at the sound of Circe's voice, only to find himself in the center of the Circe and Loki's bedroom. Vidcund looks up towards the dresser and narrows his eyes at his rival's reflection in the mirror, that of whom he can now fully control. _"Don't question it: Just don't say anything and do whatever she says,"_ he tells himself after he quits internal screaming.

"Loki? Are you okay?" Circe chimes in next to him, "You haven't said anything for the last fifteen minutes."

"I'm fine, Circe," Vidcund states, clearing his throat in a few times attempt to remain calm, "Really," he assures her, before pulling Circe into an embrace.

"Oh! Okay," Circe squeaks, a slight blush forming on her cheeks as she is taken slightly off guard.

Vidcund sighs as he feels her hugging him back. "This is the best day of my life."


	2. The Definition of Insanity

**Saving Face**

 _Part Two – The Definition of Insanity_

"So Amber truly thinks that she can outwit the world's greatest scientist, huh? I'll show her! I can fix this without her magic voodoo spell!" Loki exclaims, storming into the Curious residence after his confrontation with the supernatural being. He walks into Vidcund's bedroom and stands in the center of it, surveying the room for supplies. He grabs a few things and sets them in the greenhouse before scanning through the rest of the house. Loki passes by Pascal on his way to the kitchen.

"Hey Vid!" he greets.

"Not now, Pascal. I'm busy," Loki replies, pushing him out of the way and leaving Pascal shocked.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, Loki is standing in the greenhouse attempting to construct the solution to his problem. Lazlo steps into the doorway, intrigued as he watches Loki type up several equations on their lab computer. Upon completing the task, Loki places on the pair of goggles that he found in Vidcund's bedroom and pulls the lever down on his machine. The device stuns him, causing Loki to fall to the floor with a thud. Loki groans, shakes his head a few times, and checks his right arm. Finding he's still Vidcund, Loki pounds his fist down on the floor before pulling himself back up and making another small adjustment to his device.

Seven failed attempts later, Pascal pops his head into the room and approaches the young scientist. "Hey Vid, I know you're busy going crazy and such," Pascal begins, flashing Lazlo another concerned look, "but you promised you would take me driving today."

"Did he?" Loki says, not bothering to look up from his machine, "Well, obviously, that's not my problem."

"Um, yeah it is," Pascal reminds, "cause you kind of promised me that you would, and the test is tomorrow."

Loki sighs and sets down his device before staring up at Pascal. "Look Pascal, you may think that I'm your brother, but I'm not, okay? So what do you want me to say?" he questions, crossing his arms in a huff.

"Well," Pascal begins, after briefly thinking it over, "I want you to say that you'll take me and you'll quit all this 'I'm Loki' nonsense before people start thinking you're insane."

"Fine, I'll take you driving," Loki caves, as Lazlo steps out of the room, "Just let me change first and we'll drive into town."

"Sweet! I'll go get the car!" Pascal beams, racing out of the greenhouse at top speed.

Loki sighs and rubs the side of his aching forehead, hoping to sooth his now-massive headache. Loki drags his feet into Vidcund's room and starts rummaging through his closet, which is filled with twenty pairs of identical white pants, dark brown jackets, and bright yellow shirts. "God, why does Vidcund have such terrible taste in clothes?" Loki wonders, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

Twenty minutes later, after finding nothing but everyday attire in Vidcund's closet, Loki finally settles on wearing Vidcund's usual outfit. Loki shivers as he stares at himself in the mirror, trying his best to maintain his disgust as he steps into the hallway. "Whoa!" Loki cries as he trips over Lazlo, who is sleeping on the floor near the bathroom. Loki noisily catches himself and glares down at him.

"Come on, Vid, you know Lazlo likes sleeping in the hallway," Pascal notes, stepping out of his bedroom.

"How many times have I told you, Pascal, I'm not-" Loki rages, only to stop short when realizes there is really no point in correcting him. Loki sighs, "Never mind. Just get in the car."

Ten minutes later, Loki is standing at the top of the Cover Up Road hill staring at Pascal and Lazlo, who are situated in front of the small, green, and worn-out vehicle. "Really? This is it?" Loki mutters, staring down at the dozens of visible scratches and scrunching his face in distaste, "It doesn't even look drivable!"

"What are you talking about? You just drove it last night!" Pascal argues, standing in front of the car defensively.

Loki crosses his arms and stares up at the sky, "Sure, I did," he sarcastically states, taking a dramatic step backwards, "And you're a-whoa!" Loki wails, under-stepping his next step and losing his balance. Pascal and Lazlo watch as he tumbles down the hill, exchanging puzzled glances with each other before Loki lands face-first in a sand pile at the base of the street.

Loki moans as the two Curious brothers race over to him, tilting his mildly-injured forehead in confusion as Pascal holds a crash helmet out to him. "What's the crash helmet for?"

…

A few minutes later, Pascal is speeding down the Road to Nowhere in the beat-up, old car with Loki in the front seat, swerving between lanes at top speed. Loki is clutching on to the side of the car in a desperate panic with the crash helmet securely strapped around his head. He can feel himself turning green.

"Isn't this great, Vid?" Pascal attempts to shout over the transmission, "I'm doing so much better now, don't you think? Squirrel!" Pascal calls out, sharply turning to the left to avoid the small woodland creature.

"Pascal, if you don't stop this car in the next five seconds, I am going to kill you and I won't even feel bad about it!" Loki cries, holding on to his stomach.

"That's what you said last time, too," Pascal shouts once more, "Way to be original!" he screams, sharply turning in the opposite direction as he scans the right shoulder. "Ooh, a spot!" he awes, pointing between two tightly-parked vehicles, "Let's practice parallel parking!"

"What? No!" Loki yells, his eyes widening at the very thought.

"Too late!" Pascal cries, massively turning the steering wheel to the right, Loki screaming in the process as Pascal quickly taps on the breaks.

After the smoke clears, Pascal shifts the car into park and scans the area, giving a satisfied exhale as he turns to Loki. "So, I did pretty well, don't you think?" his voice rings out from the driver's seat.

Loki slowly and carefully opens his eyes, unbuckles his seatbelt, and delicately steps out of the car, trying his best to suppress his anger. He takes off the crash helmet and sets it down on the hood of the vehicle, finding the car jutting out of the spot at a forty-five-degree angle. "As much as I hate to admit it, that could've gone much worse," Loki calmly states, clenching his fists at his sides. "Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to find a trashcan that I can vomit my breakfast in."

Loki stumbles a bit as he attempts to reach the nearest trashcan. He grabs on to the rim of the can, stopping when a familiar pair of sims catches his interest. There, past the Strangetown Shopping Center, is none other than Circe and himself holding hands. Seeing this, Loki thrusts his body up, and storms over to them, his face filling red with rage. "Hey, you!" he hollers as he approaches Vidcund, who lets go of Circe's hand and backs up when Loki comes near him, "Get out of my body!"

"Uh, what the hell are you talking about, Curious?" Vidcund manages to stutter through his best Loki impersonation while Circe stands confused next to him.

"Don't you dare try to pull that bullshit on me, I invented that phrase!" Loki roars, lunging forward and tackling Vidcund to the floor. Mere seconds later, the pair are in an all-out fist fight as dozens of Strangetown residents crowd around to watch and cheer for their favorite.

"Whoa! Vidcund can take Loki?" Pascal awes from the center of the crowd as Loki pulls Vidcund into a headlock. Loki stops suddenly when he notices Circe storming over to them, her face fuming and her fists clenched.

"Let go of my husband," she growls, the hatred in her eyes causing Loki to slowly back away from her in fear as Circe moves indomitably towards him.

"No! Circe, don't-" Loki pleads as Circe swings and punches him hard in the gut. The impact of the punch causes Loki to yelp and fall backwards on to the concrete. Loki moans, watching as Circe flashes him a piercing glare before grabbing Vidcund by the hand and exiting down the street.

 _The Beaker Residence – Five Minutes Later_

Vidcund sighs as he steps in the front door with Circe, in awe of the fact that for once he is happy to be inside of the Beaker residence. "Well, this morning was eventful to say the least," Circe comments, letting go of his hand and heading towards the kitchen, "I'm going to go make myself some coffee, you want some?"

Vidcund shakes his head. "Nah, coffee gives me a rash," he confesses, quickly covering his mouth in response.

Circe steps over, holding the coffee pot in one hand, as she stares at him quite perturbed. "Since when?" she questions, "You've been drinking it for years!"

"Have I?" Vidcund nervously mutters, fidgeting with his hands a bit as Circe eyes him closely.

"Loki," she speaks up, "What is with you this morning? First you want to cuddle, then you want to take a walk downtown, and now you're telling me that you don't like coffee because it gives you a rash," she continues, Vidcund's stomach sinking with each oddity she lists off, "Not to mention the fact that you haven't tortured Nervous all day-"

"I haven't?" Vidcund quickly chimes in, "Oh, uh, I'll do that right now!" he exclaims, racing out of the kitchen before Circe can say another word.

Vidcund takes a deep breath as he cautiously walks down the stairs into the basement, gripping the handrail tightly as he moves further into the unknown. Vidcund reaches the base of the staircase and looks around, stopping when he notices Nervous hiding in the shadow of the computer desk. The test subject covers when Vidcund sees him and sinks further into the darkness.

"Relax," Vidcund assures him, scanning the room for Circe before softly continuing, "I'm not going to hurt you."

"You're not?" Nervous speaks suddenly, sounding rather surprised by this news.

Vidcund shakes his head, his voice lowered to a whisper. "No," he tells him, "Look, don't ask me how, but I'm not Loki, I'm Vidcund. And if we want to keep this sweet gig of me being in his place, I'm going to need you to work with me here, okay?" Nervous nods, unsure if he should believe Vidcund, but figuring he has nothing to lose either way. "Good," Vidcund states, "Now I'm not going to experiment on you, but I need to make it sound like I am, so can you scream in horror for five minutes straight, then teach me how to act like the biggest jerk on the planet?"

Nervous thinks over this proposal for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "Sure," he says.

Vidcund smiles and beams at the test subject. "Perfect."

 _Meanwhile – At the Curious Residence_

"Cheer up, Vidcund," Pascal says, handing Loki a bag of frozen peas from the freezer and sitting down next to him at the kitchen island, "You looked good out there until Circe knocked you out," he notes.

"Thanks," Loki groans, clenching his side and wincing slightly as he places the frozen vegetables on to his injured stomach. "I just can't believe that jerk had the nerve to throw punches at me! He knows he's not supposed to be there!"

"Well, what do you expect? He's Loki!" Pascal reminds him, resting his hand on the microwave in front of him.

"And how dare Circe just go along with it?" Loki continues, sitting up slightly, "Doesn't she know who I am?" he wonders, stepping off the barstool and standing triumphantly in the kitchen. "It's time to talk some sense into that woman!"

 _The Beaker Residence – Fifteen Minutes Later_

Vidcund slowly walks up from the basement after his brief Loki 101 course with Nervous, his face lighting up when he notices Circe flipping through the mail near the front door. Vidcund smiles and openly approaches her.

"Circe, it's me. Your husband," Vidcund announces, playfully nudging her in the side with his waist, "You wanna make a baby with me?"

"Well, I did before you fell asleep on me last night," she remarks monotone, not bothering to look up from the stack of mail in her hands. Suddenly, the doorbell rings, the chimes echoing throughout the estate. "I guess I'll get it," Circe shrugs as Vidcund slowly backs into the living room.

Circe sighs as opens the door, finding herself face to face with the man who terrorized her walk that morning. "What are you doing here, Vidcund?" Circe mutters, giving the young scientist a once-over.

"Circe, you've got to believe me. I'm not Vidcund, it's me, Loki!" Loki states, pleading with her, "Come on, I know all about you! I know you like collecting coat hangers, I know you despise white chocolate, and I know you love it when I nibble your neck-"

"Vidcund, this is creepy," Circe replies sternly, her eyes widening like saucers, "If you don't get away from here this instant, I am filing a restraining order!"

"Okay, fine, whatever," Loki exclaims, waving his hands in front of his face in the hopes of delaying the inevitable, "Just let me see Vidcund-er, Loki first, and I'll leave you alone, alright?"

Circe ponders this over for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "Fine," she grumbles, "but don't move." Circe slams the door in Loki's face.

Loki leans forward a bit, hearing what appears to be a tussle happening inside his very house. A few seconds later, Vidcund has been pushed out of the front door and is standing disheveled in front of him. "Circe, wait! Don't slam the-" Vidcund shouts just as Circe smacks the double doors shut.

Loki cock his head slightly, finding enjoyment in his rival's stressed-out state. "Wow," Loki begins, scanning Vidcund over, "I didn't think it was possible, but I'm even hotter in person."

Vidcund groans and turns to him. "What do you want, Loki?"

"I want you to quit playing pretend and give me my life back," Loki tells him, his tone shifting to severe sincerity.

"You want me to give you your life back?" Vidcund repeats, unable to believe what he is hearing, "You're kidding me! You treat me like shit, and now you're expecting me to just hand everything you love back to you?" Vidcund elaborates further, "Loki, I have everything I could ever want, and I didn't have to lift a finger! Why would any sane person ever throw that away?" Vidcund questions before leaning forward and giving Loki a condescending pat on the shoulder, "Good luck, Beaker. You're going to need it," Vidcund smirks before entering back into Loki's own house and slamming the door in his face, leaving his rival helpless and stunned.


	3. Perks of Being Vidcund

**Saving Face**

 _Part Three – Perks of Being Vidcund_

Loki storms back onto the Curious residence, his anger at his full-force since his terrible encounter with the real Vidcund Curious. Loki stomps over to the front door, immediately stopping when he notices Amber Pons perched up against the side of the house. Loki fumes silently for a moment before seething over to her. "Well, I hope you're happy," he barks, looking into the eyes of his tormentor, "You singlehandedly ruined my life!"

Amber smiles and gives a nose laugh. "You ruined your own life through your hatred of others."

"Maybe," Loki begins, "But it was through your doing that I ended up in this mess in the first place! So change me back before I lose everything!" he cries.

"I will not change you back, for you still have not seen the error of your ways."

"Is that all this is?" Loki questions, a miniature wave of relief washing over him, "Okay, fine. I learned my lesson. Change me back now."

Amber crosses her arms and shakes her head at the stubborn scientist. "You have learned nothing so far, Mr. Beaker. If you wish to change back, you must learn to see things through Vidcund's eyes," she informs him, "You must learn to see things for what they truly are," Amber adds, "And you must do so quickly, or you will be stuck like this forever."

"What?! No!" Loki screams, throwing his arms out in distress, "You can't do this to me! You don't know what it's like in there!" he cries, gesturing towards the house, "Pascal is crazy, and Lazlo isn't exactly a walk in the park, either!"

"You're making it seem like being Vidcund is a death sentence, Loki," Amber speaks up, grabbing ahold of her broom, "but no one's life is filled with complete misery."

"Yes, someone's life is…and I'm living it!" Loki growls as Amber gets on her broom. "Face it, lady, there are absolutely no perks of being Vidcund!"

Amber ignores his pleads and turns up towards the sky. "Goodbye, Mr. Beaker," she states firmly and conclusively.

Loki watches as she disappears into the clouds. "Unbelievable," he mumbles, shaking his head as he makes his way into the house. Loki sighs as he walks straight into the greenhouse and pulls out a clean sheet of paper. Loki briefly scans over his failed invention before returning to the piece of paper and writing down a few fresh equations, unaware of the fact that Lazlo is watching him from the doorway.

A few minutes later, Loki sets down his pencil, hearing a buzzing sound coming from Vidcund's jacket pocket. Loki slowly reaches into it and pulls out his rival's cell phone. "Who the hell is Cassandra?" Loki says to no one in particular as he scrolls through the open thread on Vidcund's phone. "Vidcund's on a dating app?" Loki whispers as he continues exploring the device.

"Yeesh!" he states, returning to the thread between Vidcund and Cassandra, "He's got like no game! I can do better than this, and I've been off the market for years-" All of a sudden, Loki cocks his head slightly, a devious plan forming in his brain as a massive smirk spreads across his face. He looks down at Vidcund's phone and quickly types a message: 'Hey Cassandra, how about dinner tonight at seven?' He sends it.

Three seconds later, he gets a response: 'Sounds great! :) What place did you have in mind?'

 _Londoste – 6:17 p.m._

"Wow Vidcund, I can't believe you finally asked me out!" Cassandra beams from her place across velvet-draped table. Cassandra is wearing a floor-length, sleeveless black dress with stunning silver stud earrings. Across the table, Loki is typing away on Vidcund's phone, his everyday attire matching the bland, disinterested expression on his face. He sighs and props his legs up on the table.

"Yeah, well, there wasn't anything good on TV, so I figured why the hell not?" Loki remarks, "Are you going to finish that?" Loki questions, gesturing to the glass of ice tea situated in front of Cassandra.

Cassandra's face flushes a little. "Well-"

"Great, thanks," Loki replies, grabbing some ice from his date's drink and popping it into his mouth before she can respond.

The waiter sets down their food. Loki grabs his fork and swiftly takes a bit of his lobster. "Ack! That's disgusting!" he declares, dropping his fork down on the china plate and pushing it away from him. "Well, there's five seconds from my life I'm never going to get back."

"You know, Vidcund, you sure are a lot different in person than you are on the phone," Cassandra states, picking at her plate while Loki opening attempts to liberate the piece of lobster stuck in his teeth.

"Well, if you don't like it, you can leave," he smirks, leaning back in challenge.

"No, I do like it," Cassandra grins, leaning forward as she gazes lustfully across the table, "I like it _a lot_."

"Ooh baby," Loki eyes widen as a feeling of accomplishment drapes over him.

One Woohoo session later, Loki is lying disrobed and disheveled on Vidcund's bed, watching as Cassandra starts putting her clothes back on. "So," she softly speaks, catching his eyes, "any chance I can see you again?" she wonders.

"I don't know, I've been real busy lately, and I'm super selective when it comes to dating so…" Loki begins, turning towards the wall in an attempt of indifference. Cassandra sets her heels back down on the ground and moves over to him.

"Please," she states, "you're like the perfect guy!"

Loki releases a nose laugh, unable to believe that anyone would find Vidcund to be perfect. He turns to the female scientist and rolls his eyes. "Don't try to tie me down, Cassandra. You're coming off desperate."

An hour later, Loki is once again in Vidcund's bedroom, lying down on his bed with Kaylynn Langerak perched on top of him. "Should we use a condom?" she wonders, staring uneasily at the newfound Casanova.

Loki shrugs, not giving the concern a second thought. "I don't care," he states, "It's not my problem."

Loki wakes up the next morning sprawled out on the bed in Vidcund's melon underwear, after going on a binge of dates and Woohoos with Bianca Monty and the Cordial sisters, his head spinning as Pascal enters the room. Pascal crosses his arms and shakes his head at Loki. "Wake up, Vid, you're late for work."

Loki groans, smacking his lips together and he disgustedly stares up at Pascal, the light seeping in from the window hurting his eyes. "Ugh, why does my mouth taste like vomit?"

"Uh, I'm going to take a wild guess here and say it's because you vomited," Pascal snappily replies, nudging Loki with his foot.

"Brilliant deduction, genius," Loki sarcastically remarks, "Your logical reasoning skills are uncanny."

Pascal sighs and glances down at his watch. "Just hurry up and get ready before Santo flips his lid."

Loki moans incomprehensively and stumbles off the bed, rolling onto the floor. He sits up slightly, holding up a pair of discarded red panties that he just found under the bed. "Whose underwear is this?" he wonders, "You know what? Doesn't matter," he states, flinging them to the side, "I have a job to ace!" Loki announces, springing up and doing a few arm stretches. Pascal raises his eyebrow slightly, intrigued by his brother's new sense of blind confidence as Loki races out of the room.

 _SimSanto Labs – Twenty Minutes Later_

"You're late, Mr. Curious," Eric Santo, the head of the company and Vidcund's boss, states as Loki casually strolls through the office of his workplace. "Did you bring the documents I asked for?" he asks.

Loki places his hand on his hip and rolls his eyes, "Psh, no. What do I look like, your secretary?"

"Watch the attitude, Vidcund," Eric warns, "or I can make things very difficult for you."

Loki throws his head back and gives a small cackle to the ceiling. "Listen dumbass, I don't know who you think you are, but I don't work for anyone, okay? I'm my own man," he announces with gusto, flashing a cheeky stare Eric's way. "And if you got a problem with that, you can leave."

"No, _you_ can leave," Eric retorts, staring fiercely into the young scientist's eyes, "because you're fired."

"Oh, I'm fired, am I?" Loki begins to sass, stepping forward. He stops abruptly and shifts his gaze to the side, noticing a small baggy of white powder sticking out of his Eric's briefcase. "Are those drugs?" he wonders, the horrified look on his boss's face clearly answering the question.

Fifteen minutes later, Eric is being escorted off the premises by the police. All of SimSanto's employees watch in awe as their boss is positioned into the back of a police car. The chief of police slams the car door shut and approaches the crowd of chattering employees. He stops in front of them and scans the group, his hands perched on his hips.

"Alright, which one of you is Vidcund Curious?" he asks, scanning the crowd.

Hearing his brother's name, Pascal nudges Loki in the side from the back row. "Vid, that's you!" he whisper-exclaims.

Loki groans and raises his hand, finding this entire situation more exhausting than exhilarating. "I'm Vidcund Curious, I guess," he mutters. Loki eyes widen as the chief of police heads right towards him, his fellow colleagues dispersing to give the officer an open path. The police chief stops a few feet from Loki and holds his hand out to shake.

"Excellent job, Mr. Curious. We've been trying to track that drug dealer down for weeks!" the police chief proclaims, giving Loki's hand an exuberate shake. "On behalf of The Strangetown Police Department, we would like to award you this medal of honor for your outstanding deed!" he announces, pulling a shiny, golden medal from his pocket. Loki watches in puzzled awe as the police chief drapes it over his neck.

"Oh, uh…thanks?" he says.

"No problem!" the police chief beams before giving the crowd of citizens a nod and heading back into his police car.

Nearby, Loki starts fiddling with the blue ribbon as Pascal steps forward and pats Loki on the back, wrapping his arm around him. "Whoo! Three cheers for Vidcund, Strangetown's favorite resident!" he cries. Loki doesn't know why, but for some reason these words are causing him more discomfort than Circe's punch to his gut.

Loki pulls away from Pascal and holds his stomach. "I gotta go," he squeaks.

Loki moans as he treks down the Road to Nowhere, still dressed in Vidcund's work lab coat. _"What am I doing?"_ he wonders, _"I gotta get back to being myself in my own body before things get worse for both of us-"_ Loki begins, stopping at the uncharacteristically empathic thought in his revelation, _"Wait, for both of us? Since when do I care about Vidcund?"_ he says, shaking the feeling away and gazing back up at the horizon, _"Focus Loki, keep your eye on the goal. You heard Amber earlier, if you don't figure this thing out soon, you'll be stuck like this forever. The last thing you'd want is to be connected to Vidcund Curious for the rest of your life-"_

Loki stops when he arrives at the Curious estate, stunned when he notices none other than his wife standing at the doorway. "Circe…?" he speaks cautiously as the young woman turns to face him.

Circe smiles when she sees him and throws her arms around him, the abruptness of the hug causing Loki's eyes to widen. "There you are, I've been looking all over for you!" she chimes, pulling away slightly and matching his eyes, "Quick! We only have thirty minutes to do this before Loki gets home!"

"Excuse me?" Loki states, unable to believe what he is hearing.

"Come on, Viddy, don't play this game with me. We've been doing this for a solid month now," Circe confesses, not giving it a second thought. "Don't tell me you're mad about me calling you creepy the other day. You know I didn't mean it, I just didn't want Loki to grow suspicious," she explains before latching onto Loki's arm, "but now that he's not here, we can do _whatever_ we want!" Circe coos, giving Loki a seductive wink.

Loki stands in place, the taste of copper filling his taste buds as his very world begins to collapse around him. "I think I'm going to vomit," he says before clenching his stomach and racing around the Curious residence. He vomits into the sand and falls backward next to the dining table, feeling the sickest he has in years.


	4. Breaking Point

**Saving Face**

 _Part Four – Breaking Point_

Loki pushes himself through the Curious residence's backdoor, holding his stomach in pain as he slowly makes his way to the greenhouse. Loki picks up the pencil that is sitting beside his failed invention and stares down at the two equations that he has written on the sheet of paper. Loki pulls the pencil down slightly and groans. "Oh, what's the point?" he says into the silence, "Circe doesn't love me, and everyone thinks I'm Vidcund!" he sighs, "I may as well give up now and settle for a life of mediocrity and terrible fashion sense – Damn it!" Loki curses, accidentally dropping the pencil while he is deep in thought. It rolls across the black tile and stops a few inches from someone's foot. Loki looks up, unaware of the sim's presence until that moment, and notices Lazlo staring down at him from the doorway. The young scientist has his arms crossed and is sporting a perplexed gaze on his face.

"You're not my brother," Lazlo speaks certainly.

Loki cocks his forehead. "Excuse me?"

"You really aren't Vidcund, are you?" Lazlo elaborates, taking a step towards him.

Loki lowers his head, unable to look the youngest Curious brother in the face. "If I told you I wasn't, would you believe me?" he wonders, staring down at the floorboard.

"Vidcund always struggled with Quantum Physics," Lazlo begins, reaching over to the lab table and picking up the sheet of paper. Lazlo scans over Loki's set of equations before turning the paper towards the man in his brother's body, "There's only one person other than Pascal who can spew out equations like this, and they're not Vidcund," he states, holding out the sheet of paper to Loki, "So, what's the story?"

…

Five minutes later, Lazlo is leading Loki through the hallway, persistent glares on both their faces. They stop in front of Pascal, who is busy eating cereal in the kitchen. Pascal sets his spoon down in his bowl when he sees them. "Whoa, what's with the glarefest?" he wonders, eyeing the pair.

"Pascal, this _is_ Loki," Lazlo begins, shaking Loki by the shoulder, "He somehow switched bodies with Vidcund, and we have to figure out a way to switch them back!"

Pascal sighs and sets his bowl on the counter. "Oh no," he states, standing up in place, "Don't tell me you're seriously buying that!"

"Well, why else would he be acting like this?"

"Lazlo, Lazlo, Lazlo," Pascal tisks, shaking his head at the situation, "This is _obviously_ just a cry for attention. This is just like Vid!"

Lazlo turns his head, locking eyes with Loki before turning back to his brother. "But that's the thing, Pascal. It isn't," he says.

"Lazlo, you are so gullible!" Pascal exclaims as Loki storms out of the room, "There is absolutely no way that our brother switched bodies with-"

All of a sudden, a smashing sound rings out in the living room. Pascal looks down, only to find Vidcund's prized African violets split into pieces on the ground. Pascal closes his mouth slightly and glances up at Loki, who is flashing him his signature sassy smirk. "Holy shit," Pascal speaks up, still in shock, "You really aren't Vidcund."

"-Told you," Loki remarks, crossing his arms.

"Fine. I believe that you're not my brother," Pascal tells him, "but if you really are Loki, then prove it. Which one of us three do you like the most?" he asks, gesturing between the three of them.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Loki blares, "I hate all of you!"

Pascal turns to Lazlo and nods, seemingly satisfied with this statement. "Okay. He sounds legit," he adds, "But if you really switched bodies with Vidcund, then how come he hasn't contacted us to help switch him back?"

"Look around," Loki replies, holding his arms out in place, "Would you go back to this?"

Pascal scans the area, eyeing the mess that is their lives. He turns back to Loki and nods. "Good point," he states. "So, what now?"

 _The Witch's Lair – 9:05 p.m._

Loki, Pascal, and Lazlo are leaning against the side of Amber Pons' Atrociously Evil Witch's Lair dressed in solid black from head to toe. "So, why did we have to wear black again?" Lazlo wonders, wedged between Pascal and Loki, a single candle shining down on them.

Pascal rolls his eyes and turns to his youngest brother. "Because it makes us less suspicious, duh!"

"Really?" Lazlo tilts his forehead, "Cause I feel like the black makes us more suspicious-"

"Oh, will you two shut up about the black clothes?!" Loki hisses, still eyeing the entrance to Amber's estate. "This is a life or death situation here, and I am not about to let you two nincompoops screw up my one feasible chance to become myself again!" he snarls, "Now let's climb through the window and find an antidote!"

"Right. Sorry," Lazlo apologizes. He turns to Pascal and Loki and gives them each a nod before entering through the open window.

The three scientists land in a rather large and spooky basement, which has charcoal stone walls and is lit up entirely by small red candle chandelier that is covered in cobwebs. The room is empty, minus a few magical items that are stored in a secluded corner near the rusty heater. Loki's face lights up when he spies the witch's spell book sitting on top of her cauldron and below the potion shelf.

"There it is!" Loki whisper shouts to the others, "Lazlo, go through the bottles on the shelf and see if you can find the antidote," he instructs, "Pascal, you keep a lookout for Amber while I go through the spell book and verify the solution."

"Right," Pascal says, giving a small nod before racing over to guard the stairway as Lazlo and Loki simultaneously approach the secluded corner.

Loki is about to pick up the spell book when he notices a large crystal ball tucked behind the cauldron stand. Intrigued, Loki slowly picks it up in his palms and holds it up towards the light source, carefully looking it over. "Huh…I wonder…?" Loki begins, a strange thought crossing his mind. "Crystal ball, show Vidcund," Loki commands. To Loki's amazement, the ball fogs up briefly before showing the young scientist situated in the Beaker's living room wearing a navy plaid suit and thick red glasses. "God, what the hell is he wearing?" Loki chimes, narrowing his eyes in disgust, "He's making me look like a dweeb!"

"Loki!" Lazlo calls out suddenly, "I think I found the antidote!" he declares, racing over to his pseudo brother and holding up the bottle of bright purple liquid. "Now let's get out of here before we run into some real trouble!" Lazlo states, backing up towards the open window.

"Trouble like _me_?" a voice rings out behind Lazlo, causing the youngest scientist to scream and hide behind the cauldron.

Loki swiftly turns around only to find himself face to face with none other than the woman who ruined his life in the first place. Amber glares at Loki, her piercing brown eyes suggesting vengeance as her long, black dress brushes against the concrete floor.

"Damn it! How did you catch us?" Loki cries.

Amber crosses her arms over her torso and leans back triumphantly. "You really thought _that_ would distract me?" she snarls, gesturing over to Pascal, who is doing overly-enthusiastic cabbage patches on the stairway.

Loki gives a nervous laugh and sinks slightly in embarrassment. "I see your point," he states. Loki reaches forward and grabs Pascal by the wrist before cautiously backing up towards the window. "Well, we'll just be going now-"

"Not so fast, Mr. Beaker!" Amber storms, her voice echoing throughout the basement as she floats over to the trio. She takes out her wand and aims it at the window, causing it to instantly snap shut. Amber stops in front of Loki, who is cowering a bit in her presence. "As punishment for breaking into my estate to cheat your way out of learning a lesson, I hereby increase the severity of the curse-"

Loki's eyes widen. "What? No!"

"-Now there is only one deed that can break this curse, and you only have a day to do it!" Amber remarks, leaning down in Loki's face and flashing him a devious smile as she takes her wand out once more and aims it at the scientist.

"Wait, Amber, no! You can't do this-" Loki pleads as Amber throws her arm forward and strikes him with the new curse. Loki steps backward, the blinding bright green light of the spell getting the best of him.

In a matter of minutes, Loki finds himself back outside of Amber Pons' estate standing between Pascal and Lazlo.

Pascal scans the area and takes a breath of the refreshing desert air before smiling down at Loki and his brother. "Well, that could've gone better," he states. Loki turns and shoots him a glare. Pascal shrugs and shifts his eyes from side to side. "What?"

 _Meanwhile – At the Beaker Residence_

Vidcund groans as he arrives at the front porch of his new place of residence, his feet aching from the tedious day of work at SimSanto Labs. "Man, how does Loki do this every day?" Vidcund moans as he reaches into his suit pocket and takes out Loki's set of housekeys. "At least I have a loving wife I can come home to."

Vidcund swings open the front door and steps into the barely-lit foyer. "Circe, I'm home!" Vidcund calls out, taking a few steps into the living room and flipping on the light switch. Vidcund screams when finds Circe just a few feet away from him on the couch. Vidcund steps back, his body in shock once he realizes that they are not alone in the room. "Circe, what is all this?" he questions, gesturing down at the young half-naked man that Circe is cradling between her legs.

Circe gives a small laugh and starts nervously lifting herself off him. "Loki, I can explain," she begins.

Vidcund nods, doing his best to remain composed, "Okay. Let's hear it."

"Well," Circe responds, standing up from the couch and fidgeting with her hands a bit. "It's just-you've been so sweet to me lately, taking walks with me and cuddling with me all the time and… _I've had it_!" Circe hollers, her calm demeanor doing a complete 180, "I'm leaving you, Loki. We're done!" she shouts, folding her arms over her chest and turning her back to him.

"Oh," Vidcund squeaks as he stands awkwardly next to her side piece. Vidcund looks up slightly, noticing Nervous Subject standing at the top of the basement staircase shaking his head at him. Nervous cocks his eyebrow at Vidcund and circles his hand in front his body, urging Vidcund to continue. "I mean, oh _no_!" Vidcund cries, pretending to tear up, "Circe, how could you?!"

"Believe me, it was quite easy," Circe remarks, facing the fireplace, absolutely no remorse in her tone.

"Ouch. Well, alright," Vidcund shrugs, grabbing Loki's briefcase that is sitting by the doorway and giving a small wave to the pair, "I'll see you around," he concludes, a spring in his step as he treks up the staircase.

 _Road to Nowhere – One Hour Later_

Loki, Pascal, and Lazlo are walking back to the Curious residence on the deserted Road to Nowhere following their unsuccessful trip to the witch's lair. "Cheer up, Loki," Pascal chimes, turning towards the physicist who is dragging his feet in the sand behind him, "We may not have broken the curse, but at least you can spend the rest of your days living with us!" he chimes.

Loki stops in his tracks, looks up, and glares at the eldest scientist. "You know you're really terrible at making people feel better," he notes. Loki lifts his head up in intrigue when he notices Charlie Lawson, the town's Mr. Big, walking past them on the sidewalk carrying a gigantic bouquet of red roses.

"Hey, Charlie," Lazlo speaks up, stopping the townie in his tracks, "What's with the flowers?" he wonders.

"Oh, didn't you hear? The Beakers broke up, so Circe is available again!" Charlie tells them, this news catching all three of the trio's attentions, "Man, I've been waiting nine years for this moment!" he beams, smoothing the side of his hairdo in place and flashing a toothy grin before heading back towards the residence.

Loki clenches his fists, his entire body filling with anger at this discovery. "Err…YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER, YOU TWERP!" Loki screams out after him, his mind racing in a million different directions. Loki steps back weakly, unsure how to take this news as his world starts crumbling underneath him.

"Loki," Lazlo speaks up suddenly, reaching a comforting hand out towards him, "Are you okay?"

Loki stands in silence for several moments, staring into the eyes of the Will Wright statue. He nods slowly, still clenching his fists tightly.

"See? He's fine," Pascal states with a smile. Loki screams and races around the Road to Nowhere, destroying every piece of city property he can find. The Curious brothers watch in awed confusion as Loki goes off on an angry rampage. Lazlo turns to Pascal and raises an eyebrow. "Well, he's fine by his standards," Pascal completes.


	5. The Perfect Curse

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! This is the last chapter of _Saving Face_ , and I just wanted to thank everyone who read, reviewed, faved, or alerted this fic. I really appreciate all the support I received for this story, and I am looking forward to writing more short fanfictions for the archive in the future. As always, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review letting me know what you think! :)

* * *

 **Saving Face**

 _Part Five – The Perfect Curse_

Pascal and Lazlo are standing on the Road to Nowhere casually watching Loki destroy Strangetown city property. "Uh…Loki?" Lazlo speaks up, slowing approaching the raging scientist, "Maybe you should stop. We don't really have the money to replace this stuff."

Pascal swiftly grabs Lazlo by the shoulder, stopping him before he can reach the headcase. Pascal gives Lazlo a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry. He'll tire himself out," he states.

Three hours later, Pascal and Lazlo are still standing side by side watching Loki destroy what's left of city property, the scientist still unleashing destruction at top speed. "Huh," Pascal says, crossing his arms over his torso, "I guess not. His energy must be fueled by rage."

Five hours later, Loki has finally finished his tirade of destruction and has plopped himself down on the side of the deserted Road to Nowhere. Loki sighs as he gazes down the street, finding himself completely alone on all corners. A chill runs up Loki's spine as he senses someone approaching him from behind, but he freezes in place, knowing there is no place he can hide.

"Look," Loki begins, finding the being's familiar presence rather comforting for once, "I don't know what you're trying to get me to realize, but it just isn't happening," he speaks into the darkness as Amber hovers next to him, "So, I give up. You win. I'll be stuck like this forever: unlovable, miserable, and alone!" he cries, turning towards the street sign. Loki slowly gets up in place and heads down the street, Amber's figure trailing him.

"You are not alone, Mr. Beaker," Amber calls out after him, "You are merely choosing to associate yourself with the wrong people," she tells him, "I find it humorous that you are about to quit when the answer is right in front of your face."

Loki stops in place and turns towards the magically being, his forehead scrunched in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he wonders.

"I told you earlier that to break the curse you must learn to see things through Vidcund's eyes. What I didn't tell you is that you must learn to see what is already there," Amber reveals, her dress swaying in the desert breeze, "You are an intelligent man, Mr. Beaker, but you are very blind."

"Blind to what?" Loki questions, stepping towards the witch. "Look around, Amber, I'm completely alone!" he exclaims.

Amber shakes her head and sighs before turning back to stare intently at the villain. "Tell me, were you alone when you went on all those dates?" she queries, "And were you alone when you broke into my castle?" she continues.

Loki shakes his head. "No."

"Strangetown is filled with citizens, Loki," Amber speaks into the silence as she looks out towards the Strangetown crater, "Is it my fault if you could never see it?"

Amber steps back and disappears into the darkness, leaving Loki alone with his thoughts. Loki sighs as he gazes around the neighborhood, his mind racing a mile a minute as he mulls over everything she has just said. After spending fifteen minutes staring into the sewer and getting absolutely nowhere, Loki trails down the Road to Nowhere and heads back to the Curious residence, his morale low and his hands stuffed into his pockets.

" _Well, this is it. This is how my story ends,"_ Loki narrates as he trudges up Cover Up Road, _"Now I really will be stuck in Vidcund's body forever. So much for breaking the curse and getting my old life back. I guess Amber was right, I am an unlovable man."_

Loki stops in place when he steps onto the Curious residence, his eyebrows scrunched as he notices a familiar, formally-dressed woman standing there waiting for him. "Cassandra?" Loki speaks up suddenly, the young woman beaming when she sees him, "What are you doing here?" he wonders.

"After our last date, I just had to see you again," Cassandra confesses, clasping her hands together in playful nervousness, "The truth is, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, Vid," she tells him, "I mean, we've had so many great conversations and so many great times together, it kills me that I haven't heard from you in a while."

"Oh, uh…sorry," Loki replies, still perturbed by this whole situation, "To tell you the truth, I thought I did more than enough to scare you off."

"Maybe," Cassandra answers coyly, "Or maybe it's impossible to scare off someone who loves you," she reveals, Loki's eyes widening at his news.

"Cassandra-" Loki begins, his face frozen in shock.

"I mean, why wouldn't I love you?" Cassandra declares, "You're sweet, you're smart, you're genuine," she lists off, each compliment causing Loki to turn an even deeper shade of red, "You're the total package! Why wouldn't I want to be with you?'

Loki stands in place, Cassandra's words jolting him to his core. Loki steps back, a realization washing over him as he brings his hand up to his chest, his heart racing at top speed as he can feel it sinking into the pit of his stomach. "I I-have to go," Loki squeaks suddenly, racing into the side of the Curious residence.

Loki runs into Vidcund's bedroom and slams the door shut, still holding his hand over his chest. He plops down on Vidcund's bed and stares up at the ceiling, throwing his arm gently on the pillow above him as the sinking feeling in his stomach continues to grow inside of him. _"I don't get it. I just don't get it,"_ Loki speaks softly into the silence, _"I know I don't like Cassandra, so why did my heart sink when she said she wanted to be with Vidcund?"_ his mind races, _"Who cares if the two of them are together?"_ Loki states, his heart aching deeper at the thought, _"Oh my gosh…I care!"_ Loki rings out in his brain, _"Does that mean I'm in love with Vidcund? No, I can't be. I hate him. He's the worst!"_ Loki declares, sitting up in Vidcund's bed, but as he says this, Loki realizes that for once he doesn't even believe his own words.

All of a sudden, Loki springs out of bed, a newfound sense of determination washing over him as he races out of the room and into the hallway. Loki treks out the doorway, passing by Pascal, who is stepping out of the greenhouse. Upon seeing him, Pascal calls out in confusion. "Loki! Where are you going?" he states, watching as Loki exits the property in a flash. Pascal turns to Lazlo, who is sitting on a chair in the living room, and shrugs.

Loki continues down the Road to Nowhere, feeling his inner courage flow through his body as he arrives at his destination. Loki sighs as he steps onto the front porch, scanning the area around the courtyard for a moment, before knocking on the elegant door. Mere seconds later, someone answers it, Loki finding himself face to face with his ex-wife, who is carrying a glass of wine in her hands.

"Babe," she coos, clearly drunk as she barely makes eye contact with him, "I can't sleep with you right now. Loki's here, and I'm a little tipsy," she sloppily states, swaying in the doorway.

Thinking nothing of it, Loki rolls his eyes and moves past her, stepping into the main foyer. He surveys the empty downstairs before racing up the staircase and stepping into the upstairs living area. Loki freezes in place, stopping when he comes face to face with Vidcund, who is standing up from the couch with the morning newspaper in hand. "Hey, what are you doing here?" Vidcund wonders, staring up at his rival's unreadable face, a tinge of guilt forming in the pit of his stomach. "Look, I'm really sorry about slamming the door on you the other day, I just-"

Loki leans forward, grabs Vidcund by the sides of his face, and kisses him. Vidcund tenses up slightly, his cheeks flushing at Loki's delicate touch as Circe walks into the room, her wine in hand.

"Man," she says suddenly, "I really am drunk!"

Loki pulls away from Vidcund, wrapping the young scientist into a hug as his ex-wife exits the room. Loki sighs lovingly as he rests his head on Vidcund's shoulder. "Never change," he states.

Vidcund nods, still blushing softly as he hangs onto him. "Okay."

The pair jumps a bit as the grandfather clock starts chiming in the room. The traditional tune rings throughout the residence, before chiming the bell twelve times, indicating the top of the twelfth hour. Loki sighs as he steps away from Vidcund and looks down at his body, finding himself right back where he started. "I guess it's too late," he mumbles.

Vidcund nudges Loki in the side and gestures down at their hands, which are glowing a soft, green hue in their centers. Loki steps back and stares down at his palms, a light mist drifting up from them and encasing his entire body, before dissipating into the air completely. Loki gazes up, noticing that Vidcund is undergoing the same phenomena as well.

A beam of light then bursts out from both of their bodies as their life sources switch places and stream back into the correct body in a mere matter of moments. The weight of the impact causes the two scientists to fall back helplessly on the floor. Thirty seconds later, after all the discomfort has subsided, Loki sits up in place and feels his face in awe, before trailing his hands down to his flat butt. "Yes!" Loki cries, springing up in place and pointing his fist down towards the ground, "Take that, Amber Pons! Unlovable my ass!"

Vidcund groans as he sits up in place, adjusting his signature green and orange glasses on his face as his two brothers burst into the upstairs living room. "Vidcund, you're back!" Pascal declares, pulling his brother into a hug. "Thank goodness, I thought we were going to be stuck with Loki forever!" he cries, stopping when he notices Loki glaring at him, "-Which surprisingly wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world."

Loki sighs as he shakes his head at the eldest Curious brother. "I need a drink," Loki announces as he steps into the hallway, finding himself face to face with Amber Pons herself, who is situated in front of the bathroom door.

"Congratulations, Mr. Beaker," she states, giving a small yet sincere smile at the villain, "You have successfully broken the curse."

"Yeah," Loki says, feeling rather satisfied by the witch's tone of surprise, "Bet you didn't think I could do it, did you?" he sasses.

"No, I did," she reveals, "But I wanted to teach you a lesson. Plus, I'm a matchmaker, and I wanted a challenge."

Loki cocks his forehead, unable to believe what he is hearing. "Wait, you mean you did this whole thing just to set me up with Vidcund?"

Amber shrugs. "Not entirely, but it was in the back of my mind," she says, "But most of the time I cast curses on others just to teach them a lesson. It helps them grow as sims," Amber confesses, flashing yet another smile as the Curious brothers walk into the hallway and join them.

"Hey Loki, have you ever thought about redoing your wardrobe?" Pascal asks his colleague, gazing around at the décor, "I think hobo chic would be a good look for you," he suggests, his youngest brother nodding in agreement.

"Dingus, other dingus," Loki begins, walking over to Pascal and Lazlo and awkwardly throwing an arm around each of them, "I think I speak for everyone here when I say, 'Get the hell out of my house'," he states, patting them gently on the shoulder. The Curious brothers look to each other and shrug, before heading downstairs and off the premises.

"My, my, you are quite the bully to Pascal," Amber Pons smirks as she continues to perch herself up against one of the hallway walls, a red, foggy smoke cloud forming underneath her body, "You shouldn't be cruel to him, Loki. You don't know how tough he has it."

Loki steps back, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach as he knows exactly where this is going. "-Oh no."

 _The End._


End file.
